I don't own Hetalia! End/AN/
"I wasn't trying to start a war!"
Ireland cringed before England, blood oozing from the cut beneath her eye and skirt muddied from her flight through the wilderness. Her hands were on her twisted ankle. It had all been for naught, because England was stronger, faster, and altogether more powerful than she was.
He stood over her with his sword drawn, saying, "Well, you should have considered that before you started rebelling. All this over Catherine…"
"It's not just about Catherine! And it wasn't meant to overthrow you, you great dunce!" Ireland snapped, as if she'd forgotten her vulnerable position.
"Whatever it was meant to do, I am taking this threat very seriously. You don't defy my authority lightly, Ireland." England examined the sharp edge of his sword, as if wondering whether or not he could hack off her limbs with it. "I ought to remove your hands for this insolence."
"Please, I beg of you, mercy!" Ireland pleaded, defiant anger gone in an instant. "I promise I'll stop this rebellion and support you once again, only don't cut off my hands!"
England sighed, saying, "Very well, mercy granted. I won't cut off your hands."
Ireland's whole body sagged with relief, and she pushed her hair out of her face. "Thank the lord…" she murmured.
England sheathed his sword, but he didn't turn away. Instead, he walked to his horse, and pulled a club out of a saddlebag.
Ireland watched with a sinking feeling in her stomach, like the bottom had dropped away and her innards were falling down into the earth. "What's that for?"
"You don't really think I'd just let you get away with this, do you?" England brandished the club, eyeing Ireland's head.
She didn't get a chance to do anything but scream, before he began savagely beating her around the head.
By the time he was done, he left her an unconscious, bloody mess.
See if she defied his king once more.
/AN/ So, history time!
King Henry VIII of England was the 'Lord of Ireland' when he became king. This, however, was a mostly symbolic title; the Irish-Norman lords largely ruled themselves.
Henry decided that he should get to rule Ireland more directly, and about the time he was trying to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, he had problems with a man called Garrett Og Fitzgerald, the most powerful man in Ireland. Garrett supported the Pope in Henry's attempt to annul the marriage between him and his queen Catherine, his father had supported the Yorks instead of the Tudors in years previous, and most importantly, he was very powerful.
So Henry had the man imprisoned in the Tower of London.
This lead to Garrett's son, Thomas Lord Offaly, to start a rebellion. However, this rebellion was supposed to be mostly symbolic, to prove that Henry needed the Fitzgeralds to rule Ireland.
Instead, Henry overreacted and sent a large army to put it down.
Thomas's allies deserted him, and he said he would stop rebelling in return for mercy from Henry. Henry agreed.
And then he killed most of the Fitzgeralds anyway.
This left a vacuum that was promptly filled with Henry's supporters.
More next time!